So calender wise that means he could be back anywhere from early May to June. I do feel bad for Grady, but the Indians must move on to whatever Plan B is.

STO just played the Manny Acta presser..Manny stated that unless Ezequiel Carrera beats out Brantley for the starting CF spot, Brantley will be the CF'er to start the year for the Indians. That leaves the LF spot open to a competition between Pie, Cunninghan, Freddie Lewis, LaPorta, Canzler and Neal. One person's name who wasn't mentioned as a potential starter for the LF spot was Shelly.. FWIW...

Manny kind of laughed when asked about Trevor Crowe as a potential OF'er.. it was clear..he's not..

As an aside, I had a similar operation which was a bit more extensive than his is described and I am about 40 years older than sizemore. I was fortunate enough to have an excellent recovery and was playing golf in 3 mos. It is a difficult surgery to have without some side effects because of working so close to the spinal nerves. I have had some problems as a result but was still playing decent golf until there were other problems. I was not playing ML baseball but then I wasnot playing before the surgery either.

It was reported that they had to suspend his knee rehab due to the back injury. I assume they will be unable to do any knee rehab for a few weeks, not to mention running or conditioning.

He may be physically ready to play in 8-12 weeks, but will his knee hold up, and what will be the effect of not being able to take batting practice for several weeks? Even if he has no further injuries, he might not be ready to be productive until the second half.

The Spring Training Intra-Squad Season is over.. the Indians won both their games..and lost both their games.. The real ST games begin tomorrow with the Indians traveling from their park in Goodyear.. all the way across the diamond to the visitor's dugout. The Cincinnati Reds will be the opponent, so let the games begin... Interesting note from the intra-squad game... Russ Canzler.. was responsible / participated in all the run production.. Canzler, has a chance to open some eyes.. A glowing synopsis by Zachary Ball of his potential was detailed in the following:

..There would be no greater shock in all of baseball than if Russ Canzler, after eight minor league seasons and nearly 2,500 at-bats, was able to force his way onto the Indians Opening Day roster.

His timing, however, could not be better.

The 25-year-old is coming off the best season of his career, one in which he hit .314 with 40 doubles, 18 homers and 83 RBI. He was named to both the midseason and postseason All-Star squads and took home International League MVP honors in his first season at the Triple-A level.

In addition, he saw time at four different positions (LF, RF, 1B, 3B) during his time with the Rays, making him an incredibly valuable resource for a team looking for a versatile guy off the bench. Tampa itself didn't have room for him on their crowded roster, so they shipped him off to Cleveland for cash considerations.

Canzler certainly has the experience to challenge for a spot on the Opening Day roster. All he has to do now is light it up in spring camp

He's right handed. He can play all four corner spots (none very well), and he can hit (the one thing he's always done well).. He has a chance..

Prosecutor wrote:It was reported that they had to suspend his knee rehab due to the back injury. I assume they will be unable to do any knee rehab for a few weeks, not to mention running or conditioning.

He may be physically ready to play in 8-12 weeks, but will his knee hold up, and what will be the effect of not being able to take batting practice for several weeks? Even if he has no further injuries, he might not be ready to be productive until the second half.

Back, elbow, knees, groin...what next?

Second half sounds realistic. I do think that he can do some knee rehab while rehabbing from the surgery, given that the surgery corrects the problem.

Watching Intentional Talk on MLB Network. Kevin Millar says some thing like "We should do something in Cleveland." Chris Rose(Cleveland guy) replies "What, are we going to do it from the doctor's office?".

GeronimoSon wrote:That leaves the LF spot open to a competition between Pie, Cunninghan, Freddie Lewis, LaPorta, Canzler and Neal. One person's name who wasn't mentioned as a potential starter for the LF spot was Shelly.. FWIW...

The only real candidates for the LF job, or in a platoon but to be the "regular LF" are Pie, Cunningham, Lewis, Duncan, Spilborghs and maybe Neal. There are other options like Crowe, Weglarz, etc, but they are not in consideration at all. Sizemore injury helps Cunningham's chances of making the team and also having someone like Spilborghs now make it as the fourth outfielder (Duncan on the team already in LF/1B/DH role).

I would be very surprised if Sizemore is back before the All Star break. Considering his injury history, the rehab still needed on his right knee, the rehab he will need to undergo with the back surgery, and the complications that can result from all of that.....I would just target mid-July for his return and if he comes back earlier it is a bonus.

As for Perez, that's a tough break for him on the first day throwing. The concern with him is that these oblique things can linger all year and affect a season. Cliff Lee had one back in spring of 2007 and it affected him all year as he was a disaster....and there are countless guys in the minors the past few years who were never the same that season when they suffered the injury in the spring. Hopefully he makes a full recovery, but this is something to definitely monitor going forward. The silver lining is we do get to see Pestano in the closer's role if Perez has to open the season on the 15-day DL....which long term may benefit the Indians.

He's right handed. He can play all four corner spots (none very well), and he can hit (the one thing he's always done well).. He has a chance..

Canzler is 25 years old so he should be moving into the prime of his career. He was the International League MVP last year. The Rays let the Indians have him without even asking for a prospect in return, just "cash considerations". Seems like they just gave him away.

The Rays have been pretty successful lately, especially at player development, so there's no reason to believe they're stupid enough to give away a good prospect for nothing. This guy looks like this year's Travis Buck to me.

Between Neal, Cunningham, and Canzler I don't know who the Indians consider prospects and who are just insurance.

The Indians will be playing the D-backs on Wednesday, March 7th. This game will be broadcast live on the MLB Network. The thing is this will be a live audio game with no play-by-play. Some players on both sides will be miked up for the audio. Sounds cool.I hope they have the Spanish translation in subtitles.

GhostofTedCox wrote:The Indians will be playing the D-backs on Wednesday, March 7th. This game will be broadcast live on the MLB Network. The thing is this will be a live audio game with no play-by-play. Some players on both sides will be miked up for the audio. Sounds cool.I hope they have the Spanish translation in subtitles.

This will be cool - i wonder if they will try to watch their language or let if fly like a normal day.... Also Ted Cox - no offense but you inspired me to go through my common baseball card box - I think i have a couple of your cards still

Edible14 wrote:I wonder then, if July is a more realistic target return date for Grady, will they put him on the 60 Day DL? It would help in getting a spot cleared off to add someone like Spillbourghs.

Almost a guarantee that Sizemore will go on the 60-day DL. If he goes on it at the start of the season he would be eligible to come off around June 1-3.

Edible14 wrote:I wonder then, if July is a more realistic target return date for Grady, will they put him on the 60 Day DL? It would help in getting a spot cleared off to add someone like Spillbourghs.

Almost a guarantee that Sizemore will go on the 60-day DL. If he goes on it at the start of the season he would be eligible to come off around June 1-3.

It makes too much sense to put Grady on the 60 day DL. Just for clarification Tony - does the clock start once opening happens or does it start when the person if put onto the 60???

TonyIPI wrote:It makes too much sense to put Grady on the 60 day DL. Just for clarification Tony - does the clock start once opening happens or does it start when the person if put onto the 60???

Starts as soon as he goes on....but the 60-day can't be used until rosters are official I believe the day before the start of the season, so the clock would start I believe on April 4th (or 5th for first day of the season). Either way, looks like at the earliest he could come off is the first week of June.

•The Indians are "looking around for a left fielder" in the wake of Grady Sizemore's injury, tweets Danny Knobler of CBS Sports. With so many outfielders already in camp, the Tribe are likely looking for no more than another part-timer on a minor league contract.

Indians won't get to the playoffs trying to fill voids with role players. They are great for depth, but not over the long haul.

ironmike wrote:•The Indians are "looking around for a left fielder" in the wake of Grady Sizemore's injury, tweets Danny Knobler of CBS Sports. With so many outfielders already in camp, the Tribe are likely looking for no more than another part-timer on a minor league contract.

Indians won't get to the playoffs trying to fill voids with role players. They are great for depth, but not over the long haul.

Hey iron, isn't that all that is available now? The Indians have gotten by all offseason giving up no more than minor league RPs which is pretty good IMO. Do you really think that there are big bat OFs that can play defense available right now? The tribe made its bed with Sizemore, for better or worse. If the "role players" cannot fill the void and Sizemore cannot return or is ineffective then you look at your trade options but this is ST and the season is right around the corner. The Indians are always on the lookout, or so it seems, to better the team within their resources. Just unlikely to happen IMO since what they want is not there right now.

If you really want better, get 20,000 of your best friends to buy season tickets.

I had yesterday's game on the radio while I was busy working on other things, but I'm certain I heard someone say that the team doesn't consider Sizemore an option until after the All-Star break. That sounds about right, considering the combination of the back, the knee rehab and missing all of spring training, early June was way too optimistic... he'll likely need every last inning he can get out of his rehab assignment.

Patrick Saunders of the Denver Post reports that Rockies starter Alex White was arrested Saturday night near the team’s spring training complex in Arizona for driving under the influence of alcohol. White claims that he only had two drinks before the arrest, but he failed both a field sobriety test and a breathalyzer. He was released from jail at 10:25 p.m.

Chiefroy wrote:Patrick Saunders of the Denver Post reports that Rockies starter Alex White was arrested Saturday night near the team’s spring training complex in Arizona for driving under the influence of alcohol. White claims that he only had two drinks before the arrest, but he failed both a field sobriety test and a breathalyzer. He was released from jail at 10:25 p.m.

And Shelly Duncan just took Homer Bailey deep for a 3-run shot.

So both the former Indian top pitching prospects now have arrests on their record (Pomeranz in Mississippo for something else.. don't recall what).. Is it a character issue? or just bad luck.,.

After kicking the ball around in the first inning (3 errors?.) the Reds sent up 10 batters and scored 5 runs, two earned.. After that, no walks by any of the Indians pitchers.. Every Reds pitcher gave up at least one walk.. Something to keep an eye on going forward.. too many first pitch strikes making the batters more than just a bit comfortable in the box...

Slinger - Hey iron, isn't that all that is available now? The Indians have gotten by all offseason giving up no more than minor league RPs which is pretty good IMO.

Don't know how all these tweeners are going to equate to winning 10 more games this season. This reminds me of the days when we paraded the likes of Alan Bannister, Ron Pruitt, Willie Tasby, Don Dillard, Al Luplow, John Lowenstein as saviors by the organization and the press for our team. None of them hardly ever get to the next level. Yes, they are ML players but journeyman at best. Don't see this cast being any different, but one never knows. One of these guys could rise from the ashes. We need to go from scoring 707 runs to 850+ to contend.We need better BB-K ratio from all of our players.

With that said, when we did have contending teams that made the playoffs we had either young rising stars for position players or players who had a few years left with playoff experience. Wayne Kirby and Espinosa never platooned they were strictly bench players.

Mr. Dolan told us in October, in a face-to-face meeting, this team was going to get on "big" bat in the off-season. Many of us said, we needed 3 more professional hitters, he said no -- they would get one big bat in the off-season. Could hardly classify Kotchman / Sizemore as the big bat. Hoping they still make a deal for a productive RH professional hitter either a young proven star we can control or a player "like" Carlos Lee. Without a high profile offensive addition we won't see much improvement over last year.

P.S. I did the season ticket gig for 7 years, so did the other 20,000. Shapiro and Wedge eroded the fan base, neither one of them are good baseball people. Not negative, just fact. I'm rooting hard for Chris Antonetti, really like his aggresive style and understand the many economic challenges the Dolan's face. Go Tribe.

ironmike wrote:Slinger - Hey iron, isn't that all that is available now? The Indians have gotten by all offseason giving up no more than minor league RPs which is pretty good IMO.

Don't know how all these tweeners are going to equate to winning 10 more games this season. This reminds me of the days when we paraded the likes of Alan Bannister, Ron Pruitt, Willie Tasby, Don Dillard, Al Luplow, John Lowenstein as saviors by the organization and the press for our team. None of them hardly ever get to the next level. Yes, they are ML players but journeyman at best. Don't see this cast being any different, but one never knows. One of these guys could rise from the ashes. We need to go from scoring 707 runs to 850+ to contend.We need better BB-K ratio from all of our players.

With that said, when we did have contending teams that made the playoffs we had either young rising stars for position players or players who had a few years left with playoff experience. Wayne Kirby and Espinosa never platooned they were strictly bench players.

Mr. Dolan told us in October, in a face-to-face meeting, this team was going to get on "big" bat in the off-season. Many of us said, we needed 3 more professional hitters, he said no -- they would get one big bat in the off-season. Could hardly classify Kotchman / Sizemore as the big bat. Hoping they still make a deal for a productive RH professional hitter either a young proven star we can control or a player "like" Carlos Lee. Without a high profile offensive addition we won't see much improvement over last year.

P.S. I did the season ticket gig for 7 years, so did the other 20,000. Shapiro and Wedge eroded the fan base, neither one of them are good baseball people. Not negative, just fact. I'm rooting hard for Chris Antonetti, really like his aggresive style and understand the many economic challenges the Dolan's face. Go Tribe.

Not sure I understand your point, iron. Are you saying that the $9M they committed to Sizemore was not money spent on a big bat? Since he cannot play defense any more and has no peripheral skills left, what was Antonetti spending his money on? Speaking of Carlos Lee, Antonetti could have had him for the same money if he had wanted him instead of Sizemore. Whether you like the Sizemore deal or not, that is what it was. I never did but I understand it. Sizemore is a likeable guy and everyone I know admires the way he approached the game. Antonetti hoped a fan favorite could recapture the magic one more time. It looks right now like he was wrong but he liked that better than his other options for the "big bat" and committed the Indians early in the offseason. Antonetti knew Sizermore was a big risk so he spent the rest of the offseason adding potential alternatives if Sizemore didn't cut it. I don't think he got us any all-stars but he may have gotten us some usable players until Sizemore returns or he can find a replacement that fits economically.

Your "facts" are questionable. BTW, attending games for the 7 years was easy. New stadium, more affluent times, no football and sucky basketball. Really does not make you anything but a fair weather fan just like those other 20.000, does it? I wouldn't be surprised if I attended more Indian games last year than you and I live in California.

TonyIPI wrote:It makes too much sense to put Grady on the 60 day DL. Just for clarification Tony - does the clock start once opening happens or does it start when the person if put onto the 60???

Starts as soon as he goes on....but the 60-day can't be used until rosters are official I believe the day before the start of the season, so the clock would start I believe on April 4th (or 5th for first day of the season). Either way, looks like at the earliest he could come off is the first week of June.

Not sure when the 60 days starts counting, but teams can use the 60-day DL already. The Boston Red Sox have already placed Bobby Jenks on the 60-day DL. They did so February 21st I believe?

Whether Grady goes on the 60day will come down to who the Tribe wants to add to the the roster for Opening Day. If there's only 1 or even no NRI guys to add then no sense to add him...but think guys like Wheeler and Spil could both be added and take Carrasco and then Grady's spots.

ironmike wrote:•The Indians will try to fill in for Grady Sizemore with Michael Brantley, but their scouts are looking for a center field option in the trade market.

The same question was posed to Chris Antonetti.. he made the generalized statement that the Indians are always looking to improve the roster in any way it can, but the the acquisition of a CF'er would most likely come from the internal candidates. He further extrapolated that the club was pleased with the choices available and wouldn't have any problem starting the season with the guys already in camp.

Nick Cafardo's "take" on the internal operations of the Indians, while not better or worse than most, is, at best, remote...

TonyIPI wrote:It makes too much sense to put Grady on the 60 day DL. Just for clarification Tony - does the clock start once opening happens or does it start when the person if put onto the 60???

Starts as soon as he goes on....but the 60-day can't be used until rosters are official I believe the day before the start of the season, so the clock would start I believe on April 4th (or 5th for first day of the season). Either way, looks like at the earliest he could come off is the first week of June.

Not sure when the 60 days starts counting, but teams can use the 60-day DL already. The Boston Red Sox have already placed Bobby Jenks on the 60-day DL. They did so February 21st I believe?

Whether Grady goes on the 60day will come down to who the Tribe wants to add to the the roster for Opening Day. If there's only 1 or even no NRI guys to add then no sense to add him...but think guys like Wheeler and Spil could both be added and take Carrasco and then Grady's spots.

Yes, my bad, while there is no 60-day DL in the offseason, teams CAN place guys on the 60-day DL once spring training officially starts. That said, I am unsure when the "count" starts and if DL time counts during spring training or during the season only. Since service time and all that only accrues during the regular season, I am thinking the count for the "DL" does not count until the season starts as well.

ironmike wrote:•The Indians will try to fill in for Grady Sizemore with Michael Brantley, but their scouts are looking for a center field option in the trade market.

I'd be surprised if they do anything. They are looking for everything beyond just outfielders, but unlikely to make a deal at this point in spring training. Most of the looks by scouts are to get ready to acquire guys in July. The guys they "could" get right now are really not much different than the options they already have, meaning any CF they acquire is probably a 4th outfielder or a vet in the twilight of his career. I'd rather just go with Brantley in CF and try and piece together LF with the options they have and give an opp to a few guys.

Slinger, I'm an old fair weather fan. Use to do the Tucson, Arizona spring training trip. Remember when Victor Cruz was going to be our closer, we sat with him on the curb side while he ate pizza ... Cliff Johnson would join us for breakfast and Phil Seghi smoked his pipe in the lobby of the Sheraton Pueblo close to "A" mountain. Attended hundreds of games going all the way back to 1964 when the Indians had Rocky Colavito and Jim Gentile in the same line up. Don't have the same passion for it now. What Hart / Peters did after 30 years of horrible teams, don't see how going forward it will ever be better. I'm satisfied, went to two World Series which I never thought I'd ever see.

The big bat ...

No, Paul Dolan was not referring to Sizemore as being the big bat the Indians were going to acquire when he confided in us. He was emphatic it was going to be an additional acquisition. Sizemore was resigned.

I'm sure Antonetti tried his best to get an impact player, but it takes two to tango. Because CF if a high profile position I'm certain they will start exploring a permanent young player for the position. Sizemore is broke down. Shapiro did it twice, he went after Milton Bradley and then Sizemore. For sure, Antonetti will do the same. Being strong up the middle in baseball is a requirement.

ironmike wrote:Slinger, I'm an old fair weather fan. Use to do the Tucson, Arizona spring training trip. Remember when Victor Cruz was going to be our closer, we sat with him on the curb side while he ate pizza ... Cliff Johnson would join us for breakfast and Phil Seghi smoked his pipe in the lobby of the Sheraton Pueblo close to "A" mountain. Attended hundreds of games going all the way back to 1964 when the Indians had Rocky Colavito and Jim Gentile in the same line up. Don't have the same passion for it now. What Hart / Peters did after 30 years of horrible teams, don't see how going forward it will ever be better. I'm satisfied, went to two World Series which I never thought I'd ever see.

The big bat ...

No, Paul Dolan was not referring to Sizemore as being the big bat the Indians were going to acquire when he confided in us. He was emphatic it was going to be an additional acquisition. Sizemore was resigned.

I'm sure Antonetti tried his best to get an impact player, but it takes two to tango. Because CF if a high profile position I'm certain they will start exploring a permanent young player for the position. Sizemore is broke down. Shapiro did it twice, he went after Milton Bradley and then Sizemore. For sure, Antonetti will do the same. Being strong up the middle in baseball is a requirement.

Iron, I am just an old fan. My first game was in the 1948 WS and I was hooked. Even when I left Ohio for good to save the country from the communist hoards in 1967, I was still a fan and will probably remain so until the franchise moves. Unlike you, Hart and Peters have no special place in my reckoning of Tribe lore. While they got us to two WS, they also destroyed the long term viability of the team IMO. They took advantage of the times in Cleveland and left their successors with a terrible team which had to be completely rebuilt. Maybe it was worth it but hardly the stuff of hero worship in my eyes. I still attended 19 games between ST and the regular season last year. Health has caught up with me and the schedule will have to be cut back this year but win or lose, they are still my team.

Mostly agree that we aren't likely to see much brought in from outside the organization to fill Grady's shoes. One guy though that I think we could hear about is Carlos Lee again. If the Tribe was willing to go with him in LF he wouldn't be a bad target to get and we know he is at least on the block. Personally don't want to see him on the field at all but his bat would fit nicely in the lineup, and with the groundball staff we have, may not be the biggest burden in LF...though with Brantley now in CF I do worry.

Would love to try and steal Bourjos away from the Angels, but unless they become deadset on starting Trout in the bigs, doubt he's moved til the summer at the earliest (though we possibly do have an extra lefty reliever to dangle at them...)

Really pleased by Cody Allen. He was 18th on my prospect list and ahead of several draft choices chosen much earlier. He may be a starter rather than a RP. Looks to me like he has 4 potential ML pitches. But I thought the same about Putnam and he never got any of his peripheral pitches to ML level but the split. I do wonder what is going on about his arm trouble. Any idea there, Tony?

GeronimoSon wrote:Bring in no one to replace Grady.. He'll be back sooner rather than later.. Dance with who you brung....

If anyone is banking on him before the All Star break, good luck.

Nobody in their right mind "banks" on a player that isn't there. The team plays with the players that ARE there... When Grady comes back, if Grady comes back, then & only then can his abilities be exploited...

GeronimoSon wrote:Bring in no one to replace Grady.. He'll be back sooner rather than later.. Dance with who you brung....

If anyone is banking on him before the All Star break, good luck.

Nobody in their right mind "banks" on a player that isn't there. The team plays with the players that ARE there... When Grady comes back, if Grady comes back, then & only then can his abilities be exploited...

indianinkslinger wrote:Really pleased by Cody Allen. He was 18th on my prospect list and ahead of several draft choices chosen much earlier. He may be a starter rather than a RP. Looks to me like he has 4 potential ML pitches. But I thought the same about Putnam and he never got any of his peripheral pitches to ML level but the split. I do wonder what is going on about his arm trouble. Any idea there, Tony?

I like Allen....but he's got a LONG way to go to be a high profile prospect. This is a big year for him, that's for sure. Great first year in the org last season, and I have heard he may get a chance to start this year in order to see if he can start and also to develop his pitches/mechanics/etc. That's a sign a lower level pitcher is on the prospect periphery of the org. Relievers in the lower levels are very low on the prospect totem pole....if you are starting, you are much more valued.

GeronimoSon wrote:Bring in no one to replace Grady.. He'll be back sooner rather than later.. Dance with who you brung....

If anyone is banking on him before the All Star break, good luck.

Nobody in their right mind "banks" on a player that isn't there. The team plays with the players that ARE there... When Grady comes back, if Grady comes back, then & only then can his abilities be exploited...

Sounded like Ubaldo didn't really have very good command in the first inning.. but turned it around after that.. The Angels got their scores with a bleeder up the middle, a walk, a run on a WP along with a run on a ball Cord couldn't get to.. made for a "meh" outing...

GeronimoSon wrote:Sounded like Ubaldo didn't really have very good command in the first inning.. but turned it around after that.. The Angels got their scores with a bleeder up the middle, a walk, a run on a WP along with a run on a ball Cord couldn't get to.. made for a "meh" outing...

Jose Lopez continues to show why CA acquired him..

He doesn't have to "show" anything because there isn't really much to show. That's why he only cost about 50 bucks to sign.

Assuming he goes on the 60-day DL as expected, he'll be out a minimum of 14-15 total weeks (from the original injury announcement Feb 20th or whatever it was).

I'll be shocked to see Sizemore play this year, let alone be worth anything to anyone ever again if he does play in the future. I have had a similar surgery nearly 3 years ago, had 3 discs reduced in order to relieve pressure on the nerves and still feel the differences in my back today after a complete recovery. I have a hard time believing Sizemore will be able to swing a bat without problems developing further.

As the first week of Spring Training has come and gone, it looks like Lonnie Chisenhall is showing that he is either equal to or out playing Jack Hannahan on both sides of the ball. Of course it's still very early, but when you add in the efforts of Jose Lopez, the Indians may revisit a trade of Hannahan to a team looking for a lefty corner IF'er that has a great glove (sort of like the trade that brought Zach McAllister to the Indians later in the season). Lopez appears to be more than an adequate back up at any spot in the infield.

GeronimoSon wrote:As the first week of Spring Training has come and gone, it looks like Lonnie Chisenhall is showing that he is either equal to or out playing Jack Hannahan on both sides of the ball. Of course it's still very early, but when you add in the efforts of Jose Lopez, the Indians may revisit a trade of Hannahan to a team looking for a lefty corner IF'er that has a great glove (sort of like the trade that brought Zach McAllister to the Indians later in the season). Lopez appears to be more than an adequate back up at any spot in the infield.

I would be extremely surprised to see Hannahan traded right now. Maybe later in the year, but not now.

From what I am gathering Hannahan still has a slight leg up on Chisenhall for the starting 3B gig. Still 3 weeks to go for this to sort out, and I have a feeling injuries are going to play into this heavily. Either injuries to one of them, or an injury to someone else that allows them to carry both to start the season.

It's early, split squad games, a benchmark for the Indians in the month of April will be how many runs per game they score on average. John Fields is also preaching cut down on the K's, draw more walks and know what kind of pitches each hitter handles the best. That is a good sign.

In order for this team to contend, they will need to score at least 850 runs which equates to about 5.25 runs per game. Don't see this team coming out of spring training being able to do it. IMO, they need another impact RH bat.

ironmike wrote:It's early, split squad games, a benchmark for the Indians in the month of April will be how many runs per game they score on average. John Fields is also preaching cut down on the K's, draw more walks and know what kind of pitches each hitter handles the best. That is a good sign.

In order for this team to contend, they will need to score at least 850 runs which equates to about 5.25 runs per game. Don't see this team coming out of spring training being able to do it. IMO, they need another impact RH bat.

There were three teams in MLB in 2011 that scored 850 runs: Red Sox (875), Rangers (855) and Yankees (867).. It should be noted that these three teams played in what may be considered the best hitter's or "Band Box" parks in all of MLB. The Tigers came in fourth with 787 runs scored..

850, while an admirable goal.. has not tangible value.. The real goal for the Indians is they need to score one run more in 90 + games than their opponent to contend.. If that number is 800 or 700, it really doesn't matter...

I think the point was that the Tribe will need to score a lot of runs to have a successful season. Maybe not 850, but a lot.

The key will be the rotation. Jimenez needs to get back to his 2010 form, or close to it. Tomlin needs to stay healthy the entire year and adjust to the hitters, who are no longer letting him have strike one. Lowe needs to get his mechanics back on track after a bad year. Slowey or Gomez or Huff or Roberto Hernandez (at some point) needs to nail down the #5 spot and put up a quality start every five days.

That's a lot of things that need to go right, and they won't all go right. Which means the Tribe is going to need to score a lot.

I think they can, although the loss of Grady's bat is a problem. Kotchman's defense will save a few runs.